Beaming or warping machine



Dec, 2% 1949 F. LAMBACH BEAMING OR WARPING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 21, 1947 Fllll INVENTOR fi/rzj/mzw/ A; HIS ATTOY F. LAMBACH BEAMING OR WARFING MACHINE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 21, 1947 INVENTOR BfiP/TZ ,AQMEflUA/ as ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEAMING R WARPING MACHINE Fritz Lambach, Tenafly, N. J.

Application January 21, 1947, Serial No. 723,284

Claims. (Cl. 2832) The present invention relates to textile machines, and more particularly to beaming or warping machines.

An object of the present invention is to provide a power driven mechanism for moving the swingable beam support of a beaming or warping machine from a lower beam receiving position into an upper operative position and vice versa.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for moving the swingable beam support of a beaming or warping machine from one position into another one, which may be operated without danger of damage to parts of the machine, if, during the operation of the mechanism, the beam support is stopped by an object being in its path.

Still another object of the present invention is to improve upon the construction of beaming or warping machines as now ordinarily made.

With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth in the claims hereof, certain embodiments of the same being described in the specification and being illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. l is a fragmentary and somewhat diagrammatical side elevational view of the front portion of a beamer,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the slip clutch arranged in the driving mechanism for moving the beam support from one position into another one,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary evolution of the tooth portion of the coupling means of the slip clutch shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the beamer partly in section.

The drawings illustrate only those parts of a beamer which are necessary for an understanding of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 5, generally indicates the frame of a beamer. The frame is composed of several parts in conventional manner.

On each side of the beamer, a supporting member generally indicated by I2 is swingably mounted on a cylindrical portion of a cartridge [4 mounted in an aperture of the frame It]. Each supporting member I2 comprises a gear segment IS in mesh with a pinion l 8 keyed to a transverse shaft 20. journalled inss'uitable bearings of the frame ill. Furthermore, each supporting meniher comprises an arm 22 rotatably receiving the rods 24 of the beam engaging means generally indicated by '26. Said beam engaging means 26 are provided with nipples 28 having projections 30 for engagement with recesses in the flanges 32 of a beam generally indicated by 34. In order to grip or release such a beam 34, said beam engaging means 26 may be displaced relative to each other by any suitable means (not shown in the drawings) for example, by a device shown and described in my copending patent application Ser. #677,297 relating to a beaming or warping machine, filed June 17, 1946, now Patent Number 2,450,431.

Above described supporting members 12 to-- gether with said beam engaging means 2'5 represent a beam support swingably mounted on the frame it) of the beamer. Said beam support may be swung by a device to be described hereinafter from an extreme lower beam receiving position shown in dash and dot lines in Fig. 1 into an upper operative position shown in full lines in said Fig. 1. The upper operative position of the beam support is limited by an abutment of its arms 22 against brackets 36 mounted on the frame ll] of the beamer. Each of said brackets 36 carries a locking device generally indicated by 38. Each of said locking devices 38, which is more fully described in my co-pending application Ser. #677,297 relating to a beaming or warping machine, filed June 17, 1946 comprises a locking slide 40, which may be displaced from the inoperative position shown in dash and dot lines in Fig. 1 into the operative position shown in full lines in said Fig. 1, wherein it comes into engagement with a recess 42 of the arm 22 of the beam support. As will be readily understood, the locking slides 40 hold the beam support 22 in its upper operative position, when the locking slide 40 is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. If it is desired to lower the beam support from its upper operative position into its lower beam receiving position, a nut 44 holding the locking slide 40 in its position is loosened whereupon the locking slide 4|] may be pulled out into the.

and 52 mounted on a side wall of the frame I9 rotatably receive a driving shaft 54. Said driving shaft 54 is prevented from an axial displacement by means of set collars 56 and 59. The set collar 56 abuts against the bearing 99 and the set collar 58 abuts against a thrust-ball-bearing 60 arranged between the set collar 59 and the bearing 52. As best shown in Fig. 3 the upper end of the shaft 54 carries a worm gear 62 in mesh with a worm 64 arranged on a shaft 66 of a reversible motor 68.

As best shown in Fig. 2, a sleeve 10 provided with bearings 12 engaging the shaft 54 is mounted on the lower end of said shaft 54. The upper portion of said sleeve I abuts against a thrustball-bearing I4 interposed between the bearing 52 and the sleeve I0. The lower portion of the hollow sleeve is provided with a shoulder 16 abutting against a thrust-ball-bearing 18 arranged within said sleeve 76. A set collar 90 secured to the shaft 54 is in engagement with the opposite side of said thrust-ball-bearing l8. As may be readily understood, above described arrangement of the sleeve 10 on the shaft 54 prevents an axial displacement of the sleeve l0 relative to the shaft 54, but it permits a rotation of theshaft 54 relative to the sleeve 10 under certain conditions to be described hereinafter.

The upper end of the sleeve I9 is provided with the threads of a self-locking worm 82. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 5, said worm 82 is in mesh with a worm gear 84 keyed to a projecting end of the transverse shaft 20 carrying the pinions I8 in mesh with the gear segments I6 of the supporting members I2.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lower end of the sleeve I0 forms a coupling member 86 of a slip clutch generally indicated by 88. Said coupling member 86 provided with alternate teeth 90 and recesses 92 (see Fig. 4) is arranged for cooperation with a coupling member 94 provided with complementary teeth 96 and recesses 98. Said coupling member 94 is positively connected with the shaft 54 by means of keys I90 preventing a rotation of the coupling member 94 relative to the shaft 54 but permitting an axial displacement of the coupling member 94 relative to the shaft 54. An adjustingnut I92 is screwed on the threaded end of the shaft 54, and a spring I04 is arranged between a shoulder I96 of the coupling member 94 and a washer I08 abutting against the nut I02. Said spring I64 tends to hold the coupling members 86 and 94 of the slip clutch 86 in engagement with each other.

The operation of the drive for moving the swingable beam support from one position into another one is as follows:

Assume a beam 34 is engaged with the beam engaging means 26 of the swingable beam support, and said swingable beam support is in the lower beam receiving position shown in dash and dot lines in Fig. 1. The teeth and recesses of the coupling members 86 and 94 of the slip clutch 88 are held in engagement with each other by means of the spring I04. As soon as the motor 68 is energized by the closing of a switch (not shown) for an actuation of the drive, the shaft 54 is rotated causing a rotation of the coupling member 94. As the teeth 96 of said coupling member 94 are held in engagement with the recesses 92 of the coupling member 86 by means of the spring I04, said coupling member 66 is likewise rotated, so that the worm 92 connected with the coupling member 86-through the body of the sleeve 70 causes a rotation of the worm gear 86 are prevented from further rotation.

84 for lifting the swingable beam support from its lower beam receiving position into its upper operative position through the medium of the pinions I8 and gear segments I6 meshing with each other. As soon as the swingable beam support is stopped by an abutment of its arms 22 against the brackets 36 in its upper operative position or by an abutment of an arm 22 against a locking slide 40 inadvertently brought into the path of the upwardly moving beam support, the worm 82 and consequently the coupling member though the motor 68 being still energized continues to rotate the shaft 54, no breakage will occur in the drive or at any other part of the beamer, as the teeth and 96 of the coupling members 86 and 94 of the slip clutch 88 have such an inclination on their side surfaces I I0, that the coupling member 94 positively driven by the shaft 54 may slide relative to the stopped coupling member 86 whereby the motor drive 68 is disene'aged from the worm 82 positively coupled with the swingable beam support; such a sliding of the driven coupling member 94 relative to the stopped coupling member 86 is rendered'possible by axial displacements back and forth of the conpling member 94 towards and away from the nut I02 against and under the action of the spring I04. Thus, the slip clutch 88 acts as safety means until the motor 68 is stopped by a-de-- energization thereof.

If it is desired to lower the swingable beam support from its upper operative position into its lower beam receiving position, the reversible motor 68 is energized for rotation in the opposite direction, and the drive will act in a similar manner. As long as there is no object in the path of the swingable beam support, the motor 68 will drive the beam support through the medium of the slip clutch 88. As soon as, however, the

beam support is stopped by an object in its path,

the slip clutch will render the motor drive 68 ineffective on the swingable beam support by the sliding of the clutch member 94 relative to the stopped coupling member 86 so that the motor 68 may continue to rotate without danger of damage to any part of the beamer.

If desired, the operation of the slip clutch 88 belts H8. A bearing roller I26 and a driving pinion I22 forming an integral piece are keyed'to to end of the shaft H6 projecting from the cartridge I4 towards the center of the beamer. Said. pinion I22 is in mesh with a pinion 124 integral with a bearing roller I26 contacting the bearing roller I 29. Said pinion I24 rotatably arranged on the shaft 24 of the beam engaging'means" 29 has a bore I29 slidably receiving a connecting pin I38 inserted into a bore of thebeam engaging Thus, upon a rotation of the stepmeans 26. pulley I I4, the beam 64 engaged with the projections 30 of the nipple 28 of the beam engaging means 26 is rotated through the medium of the gears I22, I24 meshing with each other and the;

connecting pin I30.

I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is understood that numerous changes and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

For example, automatic safety means other than a slip clutch may be provided in or associated with the beam support drive for taking up an overload caused by a sudden stoppage of the swingable beam support by an object in its path. Such safety means must not necessarily be of the meclrnical type, they could also be of an electrical type. Furthermore, if desired, a so-called torque motor may be used for driving the shaft 5st; in such a case, a slip clutch or a similar device may be entirely omitted, as it is a characteristic of a torque motor, that its rotor may remain at a standstill upon a stoppage of the swingable beam support without an undue heating of the energized torque motor.

Furthermore. if a slip clutch or other automatic safety means responsive to a stoppage of the swingable beam support by an object in its path are used, a mechanical drive or even a hand drive may be used instead of the motor drive shown in the drawings.

What I claim is: l

1. In a beaming or warping machine the combination of: a beam support swingably mounted on the machine, said beam support being swingable between an extreme lower beam receiving position and an extreme upper operative position, a drive, and a connection between said drive and said beam support whereby said drive is normally positively connected with said beam support for swinging same from one extreme position into the other extreme position upon an actuation of said drive, said connection being disengageable, and means responsive to a stoppage of said swingable beam support in any position of the latter by an object in its path for automatically disengaging said connection so as to permit an overrunning of said drive.

2. In a beaming or warping machine the combination of: a beam support swingably mounted on the machine, said beam support being swingable between an extreme lower beam receiving position and an extreme upper operative position, a drive, a clutch interposed between said drive and said swingable beam support, said clutch havin a pair of disengageable coupling means, one of said coupling means being positively connected with said drive, the other coupling means being positively connected with said swingable beam support, and engaging means normally holding said coupling means in relative engagement so as to couple said drive with said beam support for swinging same from one extreme position into the other extreme position upon an actuation of said drive, said engaging means being responsive to a stoppage of said swingable support by an object in its path for disengaging the coupling means of said clutch upon such a stoppage of said swingable beam support.

3. In a beaming or warping machine the combination of: a beam support swingably mounted on the machine, said beam support being swingable between an extreme lower beam receiving position and an extreme upper operative position, a drive, and a slip clutch interposed between said drive and said swingable beam support, said slip clutch normally coupling said drive with said beam support for permitting a swinging mover ent of said beam support from one extreme posii into the other extreme position by said drive upon an actuation of the latter, and said slip clutch being designed for automatically disengaging said drive from said swingable support upon a stoppage of the latter by an object in its path so as to permit an overrunning of said drive.

4. In a beaming or warping machine the combination of: a beam support swingably mounted on the machine, said beam support being swingable between an extreme lower beam receiving position and an extreme upper operative position, a drive, a slip clutch interposed between said drive and said swingable beam support, said slip clutch having a pair of coupling means, one of said coupling means being positively connected with said drive, the other coupling means being positively connected with said swingable beam support, and resilient means associated with said coupling means for normally holding same in operative engagement with each other so as to couple said drive with said beam support for :iging the latter from one extreme position 1 to the other extreme position, said resilient means being designed for permitting a slipping said coupling means relative to each other upon a stoppage of said swingable beam support by an object in its path.

5. In a beaming or warping machine the combination of: a beam support swingably mounted on the machine, said beam support being swingable between an extreme lower beam receiving position and an extreme upper operative position, drive, a slip clutch interposed between said drive and said swingable beam support, said slip clutch having a pair of coupling means, one of said coupling means being positively connected with said drive, the other coupling means being positively connected with said swingable beam support, resilient means associated with said coupling means for normally holding same in operative engagement with each other so as to couple said drive with said beam support for swinging the latter from one extreme position into the other extreme posit on, said resilient means being designed for permitting a slipping of said coupling means relative to each other upon a stoppage of said swingable beam support by an object in its path, and adjusting means associated with said resilient means for adjusting the action of the latter.

FRITZ LAMBACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 504,457 Rhoades Sept. 5, 1893 1,757,409 Brown May 6, 1930 1,795,506 Reiners et al Mar. 10, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 783,984 France Apr. 15, 1935 

